Review of the Netflix documentary series Queen Cleopatra

I remember when I was in elementary and middle school, I used to be obsessed with this series that was called Royal Diaries. It was definitely a precursor into me becoming a massive history nerd in the end, but it was also one of the few series that I could read as a child that featured historical women’s narratives.

A theme that also continued later in my life, as I now study women’s history specifically. But despite that, one of the ones I remembered reading was the royal diary on Cleopatra VII. I was aware of her from a painfully young age and the complicated legacy she leaves behind, one that is not only feminist, but can conform to the patriarchal standards of whomever is telling her story.

I first heard about this documentary through the controversy it generated. it was a hot take for some, especially some Egyptians, to depict Cleopatra VII as a Black woman throughout this four-episode documentary series.

That was how I heard about it and ended up adding it to my watch list, and it didn’t take me long to press play during this long summer break. Although I am someone who knew quite a bit about her to begin with, since I’ve read some biographies, too, I still think there was wisdom to glean from this series.

Onwards with the review!

A four episode series on the rise and fall of the last Egyptian Pharaoh: Cleopatra VII.

I think it would be pretty pointless for me to recall the entire plot of this documentary series, which I do with other blog posts when it comes to television and movie shows, but it starts essentially from the beginning of Cleopatra’s father’s death and the power struggle that creates when he dies.

The Egyptian tradition during the Ptolemy era dictates that there must be a male and a female ruler at the time, so it forces Cleopatra to marry her brother in order for her to retain her power. However, she becomes entangled with the Roman leader Julius Caesar after her brother has one of his generals killed, leading to the struggles that she became famous for.

One of the most interesting things about the show for me was the actual acting. Usually with historical reenactments the acting isn’t that good, but my god I saw this and was deeply impressed with the quality. The lead actress playing Cleopatra was absolutely fantastic and nailed down the role really well, and I was also impressed with the Caesar and the Antony. They weren’t as good as the Cleopatra, but they were decent as well. I think there’s a lot to mull over when it comes to the race controversy over this, though.

The show incorporates people from the academic world who specialize in the time period to discuss everything that happened, and they bring this up as well.

There’s a slant that she’s an African queen, which is something extremely important to know when it comes to the fact that Cleopatra and her history is depicted. She’s often seen in the depictions as a white European woman, but how she is depicted changes depending on who’s telling the story.

She was one of the only Pharaohs who bothered to learn Egyptian, the local language, and that’s seriously commendable. I think a lot of the backlash as depicting her as Black obviously stems from the racism that comes with such a depiction. People don’t imagine her as Black, especially because they cannot imagine a Black woman being in such a position of power.

We’re used to depictions of Black women appearing as inferior or subordinate that racist imagery in people’s mind cannot imagine a Black woman being someone important. I don’t specialize in Egypt, but I know that a lot of Iranians reject the notions of Blackness in their own society due to racism, despite our country having a prominent Black population in the South.

That’s all I’ll say about the controversy. I think it works for the sake of a documentary, and that it shouldn’t cause as much outrage because we truly don’t know what color Cleopatra was. It is important to note she is an African queen at the end of the day, although some may deny that fact.

I think the inclusion of academic specialists was an important one for this kind of documentary, as their opinions and consulting adds a unique element compared to a straight voiceover and acting out what had happened.

The makeup might’ve been cute though throughout the series, but it definitely is something to notice when it comes to historical accuracy. One might brush off the fact it might be a contemporary adaptation of events, but the Ancient Egyptians, especially Cleopatra, did actually end up crushing beetles for glitter. She also wore blue and gold eyeshadow in addition to kohl eyeliner.

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